1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a contact of an electrical connector, and in particular to a contact of a socket connector for retaining a semiconductor device, such as a central processing unit (CPU) module on a circuit board.
2. The Prior Art
Socket connectors for retaining and electrically connecting a CPU module to a circuit board are known in the art. A socket connector comprises an insulative housing defining an array of bore therein for receiving and retaining conductive contacts. Each contact has a body portion from which a tail and a mating section extend in opposite directions. The body forms an electrical channel between the mating section and the tail. The tail extends beyond a lower face of the housing for being received in a corresponding pin opening defined in the circuit board. The mating section engages with a corresponding conductive terminal extending from the CPU module to establish electrical connection between the CPU module and the circuit.
With the increase of the operational frequency of CPUs, the contacts of the socket connector are subject to severe requirement in electrical properties, among which impedance, especially inductance, of the contact is one of the major problems to be addressed. The body of he contacts of the conventional socket connectors, such as those disclosed in the above mentioned prior art, forms a single signal transmission channel having a limited cross-sectional area thereby leading to difficulty in reducing inductance.
It is thus desired to provide a contact structure which overcomes the above problem encountered in high frequency operation of the CPUs.